What tools in BOB?

mikehopkins

mikehopkins

Joined
May 23, 2007
Messages
90
Other than a multi tool and folding saw, what other tools ride the bag? Ihave been thinking about adding some tools and want to know what y'all think should be in there. The earthquakes and record tornado outbreaks have me thinking about more urban escapes and such than lost awaiting rescue in the wilderness. I'm not prone to set and wait for the firemen if i can get myself out. They can rescue others. I have added a good stout pry bar thats about 24" long..what else? Thanks for any suggestions.
Mike
 
Im sure others will chime in with great suggestions,
I will just mention this one...
one of my edc tools

for urban environment,
I definitely would have a pair
of Klein Lineman pliers

092644700705_4.jpg

092644700583_4.jpg
 
Gloves [You'll be grateful for any from garden center to whatever]
Goggles [Bobster do a good range without crossing into tacti-kewl]
Dust Mask / particulate respirator [nothing snazzy, think builder]
Hacksaw
Mole Grips [I like Stanley but I doubt that matters]
Hatchet - Husqvarna do a hatchet that is very similar to the GB wildlife without the rip off pricing. They're £20 GBP here. - review.
Head Torch + torch
I'd also be thinking knee and elbow pads too.
Some sort of lightweight helmet to stick it in, perhaps from the peddle bike section.

Water bottle.
FAK

I'm assuming you'll already be appropriately shod.
 
What are you BO-ing from and what are you BO-ing to?

If it's an urban BO, then this type of pry bar is invaluable for Breaking and Exiting:
Gad%20Pry%20Bar.jpg


As are these:
images


But remember a proper urban Breaking and Exiting kit looks just like a proper urban Breaking and Entering kit, which police tend to frown on if you get pulled over and they see it.
 
I'm going to put fencing pliers in mine, I thank Rock6 for pointing that useful tool out. Gloves....I'm waiting for Mechanix gloves to go on sale again to get a spare pair. I bought a pair something like, 8 years ago, and I've worn them for auto repair, 4x4 recovery missons, etc. Amazing for the price (around $20). Goggles and mask a good idea. Spare folder maybe. Multi-tool as mentioned. Lights. I've got a couple Garrity Life-lite's waiting, they are cheap ($5) and highly useful. FAK for sure.
http://www.botachtactical.com/paratechbiel.html
I want to get something like this when $$$$ allow. Portable radio? Glow-light sticks?
 
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I admit that with the rare exception of things like mole grips I'm not into muti-role devices so much. I know there are no right answer to this but in the scenario of the earthquake or tornado the OP put I'd be much happier with the clout I could give something with that Husqvarna [or the like] either ax side or hammer side than something built into a bar. My jemmy bar is nothing more than a length of leaf spring with the ends tapered right down and a couple of notches cut in with a torch for pulling nails and blah. It'll work alone for popping stuff open, as a nib if you stick it down a bit of scaffold tube or something, and carries small. Rather than designed for multiple roles I usually find I prefer something that is really good at one thing but can hold up to other stuff as well. The shovel I posted here would make the grade on the strength of that.
 
PARKINGLOT said:
I'm going to put fencing pliers in mine, I thank Rock6 for pointing that useful tool out. Gloves....Multi-tool as mentioned. Lights. I've got a couple Garrity Life-lite's waiting, they are cheap ($5) and highly useful. FAK for sure.
http://www.botachtactical.com/paratechbiel.html
I want to get something like this when $$$$ allow. Portable radio? Glow-light sticks?
Click to expand...

Ha! Thanks for the plug, but somebody mentioned fencing pliers long before me and I was able to take the advice as well...can't take credit, but it's always good to share ideas:thumbup: I didn't initially mentioned a good LED flashlight and specifically the headlamp. Lights and power are some the first to fail and if you're in a building, chances are illumination will be really degraded. Additionally, a headlamp will allow you work and maneuver with both hands free while still providing light...a very good addition to anybody's kit.

I agree with CPL Punishment; breaching/rescue tools in the urban/semi-urban BoB will look a lot like “breaking in” tools. Do be careful.

My last job was located in a pretty decently sized city; more on population than high-rises, but it there was a lot of steel, rebar, concrete, fencing, etc. My “worst-case” route home put me through some rough areas if on foot. Of course, if a disaster did occur that collapsed buildings or scattered everything due to tornado/hurricane, rescue and extrication activities of you or coworkers would be greatly facilitate by a few tools.

Before I address what I used to pack, don’t forget a good pair of leather working gloves and ballistic eyewear. If there is any serious damage, chances are there will be exposed rebar, sharp concrete edges, broken glass, etc...a good set of gloves will really protect you hands as you attempt to maneuver your way out or assist others in escaping. I would also recommend a simple dust/smoke mask and if you can swing it, a bicycle helmet to prevent small falling debris along with knocks and dings if you must maneuver through collapsed buildings, bridges, etc.

How big is your pack; what work conditions will allow you to pack one? If you leave it in your vehicle, you can pack some better tools, but they won’t be immediately accessible. I keep a CS shovel in my truck…a very compact and handy tool, but not compact enough for my pack. Of course bolt cutters are very handy, but heavy and bulky. The smaller ones are okay for bolts and heavy gauge wire, but just not enough leverage for hardened locks.

Escape and breaching tools can be pretty compact. Paratech Biel Tool is something I would really consider if I lived in a larger urban area. I have carried an ATC VTAC hawk…more weapon than tool, but still a hell of a breaching implement.

The Stanley FatMax 15” utility bar is another great option to consider if it won’t get you in too much trouble lugging it in your pack/vehicle. I have that version and they do have larger “rescue” versions that give more leverage and impact force.

Here are some of the more common ones I pack:

Fencing pliers always rate high for me and provide a lot of versatility
Folding saw with a hack-saw blade (I use a Sawzall)
Rescue knife/breaching tool (mine is a CRKT MAK-1 tool)
Simple 7-8”adjustable pliers (I love my Kniplex Cobra pliers)
Compact vice (aka "mole) grips (currently replaced by a Leatherman Crunch that I EDC)
Small pry bar (just something to save your knife blade from being abused)
Safety shears
U-Dig-It Trowel
Web-cutting knife (a couple were issued, so they reside on my deployment gear and bag)

Another good recommendation is a compact pulley. Mine is integrated into 40 feet of rescue rope, mini figure-8 and a few carabineers. For work, I wore a rigger’s belt, but you do need to consider a harness if you actually have to rappel down a couple of stories along with knowing how to quickly rig up an improvised anchor. I also take this kit when traveling and try to stay on the second or third floor of a motel room (provides better security and the ability to quickly escape if needed).

Some pictures of my old set up:

UrbanKit-3.jpg


UrbanKit-2.jpg


UrbanKit-4.jpg


UrbanKit-1.jpg


ROCK6
 
Mountain climbing hexes, chocks and cams come in handy and if you plan well, a very few go a long way. Hexes and chocks can be home made with machine nuts, modified with grinders to whichever angles you think best

I handled a real chinese entrenching tool when I was working in China, but have not found one of equally good quality in the United States.
 
I think Lineman's Pliers and other tools like that are great ideas. I also think having the larger types of prybars, crowbars and general wrecking bars are a great idea for vehicular based kits. It's not that those tools are not valuable in such a situation but they're probably going to be discarded fairly quickly if you are carrying them around. They're heavy. That's why the focus generally shifts to the forbidden fruit types of tools. There is nothing lighter than a set of picks and basic bypass tools. Unfortunately, they raise eyebrows. I mean, I don't even carry that stuff around on a daily basis but if I had to evacuate an area from home, I would have some of them on me because for certain situations, they are absolutely invaluable.

It's like with boltcutters, unless you have a pair that are over 24", they are not going to do much good on heavy chain or modern padlocks with thick diameter, hardened shackles. That's great if you have a truck or Jeep or whatever, but they're going to get chunked in a ditch fairly quick if you're hulking them around. On the flipside, a lot of modern padlocks, especially those from American Lock Co., are harder to pick than, say, Master Brand padlocks. Most of them are ball-bearing locking instead of using a spring loaded dog that mates with the indentation on the shackle, so you cannot shim them or use inertia to bounce that spring loaded dog using nylon stockings or something else, either. The spring loaded dog and the shackle are the two pieces you try to separate with a shim. So, that leaves picks and bypass tools...which is no day at the beach on some of these locks.

In short, no easy answers to getting by a lot of stuff!
 
Don brings up some great points and one that is often overlooked. If, for some reason, you had to seek temporary shelter in a crisis, the last thing you want to do is break down the door or bust a window to get entrance. Several skills, such as lock picking, are the “leave-no-trace-behind” method of E&Eing during a crisis.

ROCK6
 
ROCK6 said:
Don brings up some great points and one that is often overlooked. If, for some reason, you had to seek temporary shelter in a crisis, the last thing you want to do is break down the door or bust a window to get entrance. Several skills, such as lock picking, are the “leave-no-trace-behind” method of E&Eing during a crisis.

ROCK6
Click to expand...

Hopefully, we will never have to experience those types of events in the CONUS. Where they really shine is not having to destroy a lock or chain on some trail when you are offroading, etc. If you or someone else gets hurt and you can't get out the quicker way you got into an area, there is a great, legitimate, need for such tools and skills. Sometimes those trails are closed off for a reason, too. There might be a washout or something and that's why it is closed. At times, it's closed just because it is deemed by land management in the area to be closed. Power Companies have access to roads for maintenance purposes that you might be able to exploit if you are injured or lost that you might not normally be able to do. There are many different scenarios you can come up with that are legitimate.

It's all about maturity and responsibility, just like with owning and using firearms and knives. You can't allow curiousity to kill the cat, either. If you see a secluded shed or something, you can't go snooping just because you can.
 
I think about these items while at work(construction) and I make note of the items I use most often and the items that have failed me. Some things I would not want to be without a few are a decent 6 way screwdriver(2 sizes of nutdriver,2 sizes of flathead and philips) a nice smaller prybar 8inch or so ,longer and you pay in weight and smaller and you don`t get good leverage. Pliers needlenose or linemans with insulated handles for cutting live wires. A handle to hold sawzall blades with a nice metal cutting blade and a course wood cutting blade try them before deciding what blade to go with there are many types and most have real flaws that might not be easy to pick out until you use them I like Diablo metal cutting blades and craftman make a sweet pruning blade.Also a nice headlamp can be a literal lifesaver .
 
I'd take spare mobile phone batteries and lithium AA,AAA,CR123 whathave you's in waterproof packs (pelican work but Surefire also sell some decent accessories), a hand crank powered radio, chubby permanent Sharpy markers or graffiti block pens, UV property marking pens, about 15ft of paracord for shoe lace repairs etc, flashlight + filters and a durable headlamp, first aid kit, stainless steel canteen, limited edition glow in the dark spork :D, multitool, butane pen blow torch operates @2000C, hand steriliser, dust mask, elasticed dust goggles, work gloves w rubber and kevlar protection, Russian doll style empty tupper ware boxes, camping freeze dried vaccum packed space monkey urinated on food, large waterproof boiler suit, nylon balaclava. Oh yeah I forgot, vitamin and mineral pills.

As for tools, well its just a case of knowing where the nearest DIY store is located and have the correct frame of mind and empty tool bag. Of course this is in a Godzilla maraudering style emergency scenario.
 
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Just like that Parkinglot ,I use a cheap orange one from menards that I have ten of and I have use everyday and never had a problem with but there are many brands and types.
 
I was going to say klein makes a nice one but I don`t have one for a reason I can`t remember probably just price they run $16 or more around here and they are heavy.
 
If you can get one a slim Jim is a good tool to have in an urban survival situation. Just learn how to use it before hand. Sometimes it’s better than breaking a window.
 
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